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Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters

Active stabilization of the optical part in fiber optic quantum cryptography

Kirill A. Balygin, Andrey N. Klimov, S. P. Kulik, S. N. Molotkov

Published Mar 1, 2016• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The method of active stabilization of the polarization and other parameters of the optical part of a two-pass fiber optic quantum cryptography has been proposed and implemented. The method allows the completely automated maintenance of the visibility of interference close to an ideal value ( V ≥ 0.99) and the reduction of the instrumental contribution to the error in primary keys (QBER) to 0.5%.

DOI
10.1134/s0021364016060023

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The method of active stabilization of the polarization and other parameters of the optical part of a two-pass fiber optic quantum cryptography has been proposed and implemented. The method allows the completely automated maintenance of the visibility of interference close to an ideal value ( V ≥ 0.99) and the reduction of the instrumental contribution to the error in primary keys (QBER) to 0.5%.
The stability of destructive interference independent of the input polarization and the state of a quantum communication channel in fiber optic systems used in quantum cryptography plays a principal role in providing the security of communicated keys. A novel optical scheme is proposed that can be used both in relativistic quantum cryptography for communicating keys in open space and for communicating them over fiber optic lines. The scheme ensures stability of destructive interference and admits simple automatic balancing of a fiber interferometer.
Abstract All known single-pass fiber-based systems of quantum cryptography require a permanent adjustment of the polarization of states at the output of the quantum channel (QC). A fundamentally new implementation of the single-pass system of quantum cryptography is proposed, which does not require adjustment of the polarization at the output of the QC. Compensation for polarization distortions in the QC occurs automatically on the receiving side—the distortions are self-compensating. This result is achieved due to the fact that the receiving side of the system does not contain active polarization sensitive elements—phase modulators, polarization modulators, polarization controllers etc. The solution of the problem is provided by using a special protocol of quantum key distribution, in which non-orthogonality of states from different bases is achieved due to the time shift.
In so-called private-key cryptographic systems, secure transmission of confi dential information through unprotected channels relies on the exchange of secret keys, known only to the sender, Alice, and the receiver, Bob.Quantum cryptography is based on the properties of quantum mechanics to obtain a provably secure key distribution.Most existing implement ations rely on either the polarization or the phase of very weak pulses of light sent through optical fibers.Recent results by research groups in British Telecom, Los Alamos National Laboratory and at the University of Geneva, have shown that quantum key distribution is possible over distances of tens of kilometers, using only standard telecom cables.However, due to birefringence and the effects of the environment, the polarization at the output of a fiber fluctuates randomly.Therefore, all existing systems need active polarization control.Systems based on phase also require interferometric detection, which necessitates active stabilization of the interferometers.To eliminate these problems, our team, led by Prof. N. Gisin in the Group of Applied Physics at the University of Geneva, is currently developing a new interferometric system implementing phase-encoded quantum key distribution (US patent pending).A schematic of the setup is given in Fig. 1.Its main features are:1) The system is based on time multiplexing, the interfering pulses following exactly the same spatial path, albeit with a small time delay.The interferometer is thus automatically aligned, and needs neither adjustments nor stabilization of the path lengths.2) Use of Faraday mirrors enables all birefringence effects in the fibers to be cancelled out.Therefore, the system does not require any polarization control.With this new system, Alice and Bob could exchange their cryptographic keys through standard telecom systems.They would be provided with a sending kit and